Target the Weak
by OneMillionHeartsForYou
Summary: AU Peeta is drafted into a school for fighters. Once he's in, the only way out is to be stronger than the rest of them.
1. Chapter 1

**Kinda short, but it's just the Introduction or Prologue or whatever you wanna call it LOL Enjoy 3**

Peeta POV

Yesterday, another girl mysteriously disappeared. Everybody is used to it by now that every year one boy and one girl will disappear. We've become so used to it that we don't even question it anymore. We don't even wonder, or try to find them because we know that's hopeless. We can only mourn them because once they're gone, they're never coming back. Five years ago, the love of my life disappeared. I mean, she never knew how I felt about her, but that doesn't mean she's not the love of my love. What's strange is that most people who disappear are somewhere between twelve and eighteen. She disappeared at the age of eleven. One day she was there, and the next day, I was crying because she was gone.

I continue down the road, barely looking where I'm going. It's after sunset, and I shouldn't even be outside, but I can't stay at home. I needed to get out, and a walk was the only thing I could think of. The sky is dark, and all the buildings I pass have their curtains drawn and their doors locked. They'll do anything to make sure their children don't disappear. My mother couldn't care less, and that's the only reason I'm out here.

I stroll down the sidewalk until I hear something behind me. It sounds like leaves rustling in a tree. I turn around and see that there is in fact a tree behind me, and the noise was probably just some bird. I decide to walk toward the tree anyway. When I'm just inches away, something jumps down from the tree. Not something, someone. They land on me and pin me face down. I try to move, but they won't let go.

"Congratulations, Peeta Mellark," they whisper. "You've been drafted."

I know that voice. I try to say something, but I stop as I feel something in my arm. I think it's a needle. Whatever it is, it makes it difficult to speak or even move. The world begins to fade away. Everything goes black. The last thing I think about before everything disappears is the voice of my attacker.

Katniss Everdeen.


	2. Chapter 2

When I come to, I can't see anyone, but I can feel that I'm being carried. There must be something over my eyes. I can hear two voices whispering to each other. One is a boy, and the other is...

Katniss! I knew it! I knew it was her! But how? She disappeared, and when people disappear, they never come back. I try to speak, but all that comes out is a moan. I hear the boy say:

"Shit, he's awake!"

"Then knock him out again!" Katniss whispers.

I moan again as I try to tell her not to, but I feel the needle enter my arm before I can speak, and I black out.

I come to again. I realize that I'm lying in some kind of cot. When I look up this time, I see a girl sitting in a chair next to me. She has some kind of screen in front of her, and she's pressing a few buttons on it. I moan, and she turns around to face me. She's wearing a black tank top and black pants which doesn't really help considering the room is already pretty dark. She has long black hair and gray eyes that make my heart skip a beat.

"Katniss?" I whisper, but she doesn't hear me.

"I scared you, didn't I?" she smirks. "You definitely put up a fight."

I stare at her and open my mouth, but I don't know what to say.

"Oh, calm down," she says. "I'm not gonna hurt you... not yet."

She stares at me with a smirk on her face. The smile disappears after a second.

"I was joking," she sighs while turning back to the screen.

"Where am I?" I ask.

"Vivamus Infirma," she replies. I can only think to give her a confused look. "It's Latin. It means "Target the weak"."

"But..."

"They'll explain everything to you later, but right now, you need to relax," she says.

She stands up and puts one knee on the side of my bed as she leans in toward me. I feel frozen in place as I watch her get closer. What is she doing? Maybe I'm in some really messed-up sex dream. No, that's not it. I know because she stops and starts putting something on my forehead. I reach up to see what it is, but she stops me.

"Don't worry, we're just gonna have a little test," she says.

When she pulls away, I realize that whatever she had attached to my head is also connected to a wire that she's holding in her hand. She takes the other end of the wire and plugs it into her screen. Then she picks up a needle.

"Not again," I find myself saying.

"By the time you're through here, the needle is gonna be your best friend," she sighs.

I black out before I can ask what she means.

_I find myself standing in a white room. White walls and white floors. Nothing else. I look around, but there's no way out. What am I supposed to do?_

_"Find a way out."_

_It's Katniss' voice again, but when I look, she's nowhere to be found._

_"There is no way out!" I yell._

_Think. I bang on the walls, but nothing happens. I stomp on the floor. Still nothing. I punch random spots on the wall. Ineffective._

_"There's no way out!" I yell again in the hopes that she may help me._

_No. She doesn't say anything else. I kneel down and hold my head in my hands. Think, think, think. Nothing. There's nothing. I groan and look up as if Katniss will magically appear._

_"You have to calm down," she says._

_"I'm trapped!" I yell. "How am I supposed to calm down?"_

_She doesn't respond. I try to take her advice. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Then I stand up and look around again. That's when I notice something in the corner of the room. A thin black line. I walk toward it and touch it, and the wall moves just the slightest bit. The way out! My fingers pull on the tiny crack in the wall, and the entire wall slides to the side. I see a bright flash of light, so I close my eyes._

"Good job," Katniss says.

I open my eyes and I am back in the dark room with her. Whatever she put on my forehead before is gone now, and she's rolling up the wire in her hands.

"You only took about ten minutes," she says.

I can't tell if she's being sarcastic or not, but that's the least of my concerns.

"What just happened?" I ask.

"Take a breath, you're way too easy to scare," she smirks. "It was just a simulation to test you."

"To test me for what? What am I even doing here?" I ask frantically.

"I told you. They'll explain everything later. Just relax," she says as she stands up and walks to the door. "While you can."

xXx

The review button is lonely! Help him out? ;)


	3. Chapter 3

I took sw777's advice to make the chapters longer. Thanks for that suggestion! I hope this chapter clears up most of the confusion! Please review! :D

xXx

I managed to fall asleep for two hours. When those two hours are up, I open my eyes and hope that Katniss will be there. She's not. In her place is an older blonde woman. She smiles when she sees that I'm awake.

"Hello, Peeta Mellark," she says. "Sleep well?"

"Well enough," I say. "What's going on?"

"I probably should explain, huh? Okay," she sighs. "First off, my name is Portia."

"Uh, hi," I say because she already knows my name.

"I'm so sorry about Katniss," she giggles. "See, we taught her that the easiest way to capture someone is to jump them... I didn't think she would literally jump _on _you!"

She starts laughing, but I just stare at her.

"Anyway," she says as she clears her throat. "Katniss knew she would be in trouble if she didn't get back in time, and she was having trouble finding the boy I told her to get. That's why she brought _you _here instead."

"And what exactly is "here"?" I ask.

"Vivamus Infirma," she replies. "It's a fighting school. A training center. Whatever you wanna call it."

"So what am _I _doing here?"

"Well... the moment Katniss stuck that needle in your arm, you were drafted," she says. "You already know that twenty four people disappear every year. One boy and one girl from each district, right?"

"Yes..."

"Congratulations!" she chirps. "This year, _you _are that boy!"

"There must be some mistake!" I say.

"Technically, it was a mistake," she shrugs, "because Katniss chose you randomly, but there's no way we can send you back knowing all that you know now!"

I groan and bury my face in my hands as I try to make sense of all this. One boy disappears from District 12 every year. This year, I am that boy. People will mourn me, but they will never come looking for me. I will never see any of my friends or family again.

"Don't worry, you'll do fine," Portia says. "All you have to do is complete your training, and then you'll be given a mission."

"A mission?"

"A mission," she says again. "Some people get assassination or a revenge mission, and some get missions to protect innocent people. Before you ask, your mission is chosen for you after your first stage of training."

"So I _have_ to stay here?" I ask. "I don't have a choice?"

"I see that you're making the best of this," she says sarcastically. She stands up and opens the door. "Come on."

I stand up hesitantly. When I look down, I'm wearing a black T-shirt and black pants. I don't know when they changed my clothes or who did it, but I can only hope that it wasn't Katniss. I follow Portia into an equally dark hallway lit only by a dim lamp at the far wall.

"There are two groups," Portia says. "Group Expertus and Group Inexpertus. Do you know what that means?"

"No, but I'm gonna guess that it's Latin again."

"Right you are," she chirps. "It means that there's one group for the experienced and one for the inexperienced. If you pass your first stage of training, you join Group Expertus. If not, you stay in Group Inexpertus and repeat the first stage."

"What happens after the first stage?" I ask.

"They give you your mission, and you start training for it in a second stage," she replies.

"I have another question."

"Ask away," she shrugs.

"I guess it's not really a question, but... I was wondering if you could tell me about Katniss."

She raises her left eyebrow.

"I'm not sure where to start with Katniss," she smiles. "She's definitely something else. One of my favorite students, but don't tell anyone I said so. I'm not supposed to play favorites."

We get to the end of the hallway and I can hear a few voices around the corner. When we turn, I see why. This must be some kind of lobby because there are people around my age walking around and talking to each other. I look at Portia and it seems like she's looking for someone.

"There she is," Portia says.

She grabs my arm and pulls me along with her through the crowd of teenagers. That's when I spot Katniss standing a few feet away with her back turned. She's talking to a boy with black hair and gray eyes that match hers. He looks like he could be her brother, but I don't remember her ever having one.

"Katniss," Portia calls her.

She turns around, and the boy looks at us as well.

"Yeah?" Katniss says.

"I need you to show Peeta around," she says. "You know, quick summary, quick tour, or whatever you have time for."

"Seriously?" Katniss sighs.

"Yes," Portia giggles. "See, you can't just go out drafting people, Katniss. You actually have to teach them too."

"I wouldn't have requested the drafting position if I had known that!" Katniss mutters.

"Too bad," she says. "He's your responsibility now."

"Wait," I say as Portia starts walking away. "You're leaving?"

"Of course," she says. "No offense, Peeta, but I have a lot of important things to tend to! I can't stay by your side forever, you know?"

"But... but what am I supposed to do?" I ask.

"Find a way out."

She winks before walking away and smiling at her own joke. I turn around and see that Katniss and her friend are still staring at me.

"Uh, hi," I say.

"I'm Gale," the boy says as he holds his hand out for me to shake.

"Peeta Mellark," I reply.

"And you both know me already," Katniss sighs. She turns to Gale. "Where should we take him?"

"I don't know," Gale shrugs. "This isn't even my job. I mean it's not my fault that you forced me to come with you."

"Technically, this isn't your job," Katniss nods. "But if you don't help me, you're gonna regret it."

I suddenly feel terrified, and Katniss seems to notice because she says:

"Oh, calm down, we're just kidding!"

"I can't believe you drafted him," Gale says. "Do you see how scared he is?"

"I'm not scared," I say.

Sadly, that wasn't very convincing because my voice was shaking. Gale smirks and looks at Katniss again.

"See?"

"Okay, how about you _both _shut up, and I'll show you around," Katniss says.

Gale rolls his eye, but I nod immediately. She mutters something under her breath before she starts to walk in the other direction. Gale pushes me ahead of him, and that reminds me: They could be taking me _anywhere. _I just hope that I can trust Katniss.

"Off to your left is the cafeteria. Fascinating, right?" she says sarcastically.

"Beware the mystery meat," Gale adds in a very creepy voice before he bursts out laughing.

"Shut up, Gale," Katniss mutters. Then she returns her attention to me. "If you haven't noticed, everything is in a dark hallway. If you get lost, find a hallway and you're bound to find _something_."

"Good to know," I say.

She glances back at me, but she doesn't stop walking.

"I feel bad for that little twelve year old girl," Gale says out of nowhere. "Scared of the dark, can you imagine?"

"I know, right?" Katniss mutters. "That's gotta suck."

The rest of the walk is quiet except for the sound of our footsteps. We get to the end of another hallway and Katniss pushes a door open.

"And this," she says, "is where we sleep."

"We?" I ask.

"Yes, we," Katniss says before sighing in exasperation. "You, me, him, her. Pick a teenager, any teenager! They. Sleep. Here."

"Someone's in a bad mood today," Gale smirks.

"Just a little," she shrugs.

When I walk into the room, I see two rows of beds. One row on either side. They go on for as far as I can see. I'm about to ask why they would let boys and girls sleep in the same room, but then I realize that that would just give Gale another reason to make fun of me. Katniss stops in front of the fifth bed on the left.

"This one's yours," she says.

"Thanks," I say as I sit down on it.

"Really feel free to make it your own," Gale says in mock-excitement. "Maybe drip some blood on it so that nobody else will want to touch your bed, or maybe you could take your shirt off and turn it into a flag, and then hang it on the bed posts. It's up to you, really."

"Thanks, I'll... keep that in mind."

"Just ignore him," Katniss sighs.

"Easier said than done," Gale smirks as he gently pushes Katniss.

I clench my hands into fists as I watch him walk away. I try to remind myself that I have no right to be angry at him. Katniss never knew how I felt about her, so I shouldn't really be angry even if there is something going on between her and Gale. Still it's just like Gale said before: "Easier said than done".


	4. Chapter 4

"Dinner is in like ten minutes," Katniss says as she leaves the room with Gale.

I nod even though she wasn't looking at me and stay sitting on my bed. I can't believe this is really happening to me. I'm not a... _fighter. _Sure, I'm on the wrestling team at school, but I can't train to be an assassin. What if they assign me an assassination mission? What are they going to do to me during training anyway? What if I actually have to fight other people? I'm sure I could beat the boys, but what if I have to fight a girl?

My head hurts because it's filled with so many questions that I can't even answer. I stand up and open the door to find myself in the dim hallway again. I walk slowly to calm myself down. It doesn't work. Off to my right, I see the cafeteria. When I walk in, I see Katniss and Gale sitting at a table with a few other people even though they're only talking to each other. I consider sitting with them, but then I remember the look that Katniss gave me when Portia said she had to show me around. I guess I've bothered her enough for one day. I get a tray of food and find another table where a scrawny boy is sitting by himself. He has dirty blonde hair and freckles, and he seems like he might be my age. He looks up as soon as I sit down.

"Uh... hi," he says.

"Hey. You don't mind if I sit here, do you?" I ask.

"Nah," he shrugs as he picks at his food.

"I'm Peeta. Peeta Mellark."

"I'm Tayzer," he says. "And that's Basil."

He points behind me and I see a lanky girl with black hair and tan-mocha skin walking toward us. She sits down next to Tayzer and looks from him to me.

"What about me?"

"Nothing, I was just introducing myself to him," Tayzer says.

"I'm Basil," she says again.

"Basil?" I ask. "Like the herb?"

Her lips turn into a straight line and she squints her eyes.

"Yes, like the herb," she snaps. "You got a problem with that?"

"No, I was just asking," I say.

"Geez, calm down, Basil," Tayzer chuckles.

"Where are you guys from?" I ask.

"Four," he replies. "You?"

"Twelve," I say.

"I heard they were having some trouble in twelve," Tayzer snickers.

"Really?" Basil asks. "What happened?"

"They sent some girl," he says, "but she'd never done it before, so she couldn't even find the right guy!"

Basil starts cracking up and saying something unintelligible because her mouth is full.

"In her defense, some people lock their kids up just so they won't disappear," I say. "Maybe that's why she couldn't find him."

I don't know why, but I feel like I can't say nothing while I listen to them make fun of Katniss.

"Yeah, but still," Tayzer shrugs.

Basil rolls her eyes at me and goes back to her food.

"So are you scared, Peeta?" she asks.

"Of what?"

"Training of course," she snorts. "Starts tomorrow. I just wanna know what my mission will be!"

"Me, too," Tayzer sighs.

"I bet my life," Basil says as she puts her hand over her heart. "I'm getting an assassination mission!"

Tayzer starts laughing as she points her index fingers at me as if they were a gun.

"I will settle for nothing less," she whispers before putting her hands back down. "If they don't give me an assassination mission, I'll kill them."

"Then either way you have an assassination mission," Tayzer chuckles.

"Pretty much," Basil smiles. "What about you, Twelve? What mission do you want?"

"Peeta," I tell her.

"It's not like I'll remember," she snorts. "What mission?"

"I don't know," I say.

Truthfully, I really just want my mission to be something like protecting innocent people, but I'm not really in the mood to argue about it with Basil. When we finish eating, we return the trays and start walking back to the dormitory. We have to make a beeline because the hallway is so narrow. Basil leads us and Tayzer stays behind her which leaves me in the back. We must look so funny to other people. Tall, tough girl: Basil. Average boy: Me. Scrawny, short kid: Tayzer. When we get to the dormitory, I see that Tayzer's bed is next to mine while Basil is across the aisle. She tells me that that is because all of the girls sleep on the right and all of the boys sleep on the left.

"What time is it?" I ask.

"I think it's like nine," Tayzer shrugs.

"An hour till curfew," Basil says. "Wanna walk around? See what we can find?"

"Sure," Tayzer says as he gets up and follows her to the door. "You wanna come, Peeta?"

"No, I'll stay here," I say. "I'm kinda tired."

"Suit yourself," Basil mutters.

And then the room is empty besides me. I lay on my back and try not to think. I just want to fall asleep so that I have enough energy for training tomorrow. Sadly, sleep hasn't been on my side lately. I just sit there staring at the beige ceiling above me. I don't know how long it's been when a few more people walk in. They're yelling, cheering, and clapping. When I look up, I see that it's Gale and a few other people. Katniss walks next to him, smiling a little.

"Congratulations, newbies!" one of them yells. "Just eight more hours until your first training session!"

The crowd starts laughing. I guess that they're making fun of us because they're already up to their second stage of training. Tayzer and Basil walk in along with a few other stragglers. Tayzer sits down on his bed and looks at me in an attempt to ignore the crowd in the middle of the room.

"Find anything?" I ask.

"Not really," he sighs. "We got lost."

"How did you get lost?" I chuckle.

"It was weird," he says. "We found this hallway, but it was like it just kept going in a circle, and we couldn't get out!"

"So how _did _you get out?"

"Gale and Katniss found us," he says.

"They were just randomly walking around back there?"

"No, they heard me screaming," he blushes.

I start cracking up and he glares at me.

"Shut up!" he snaps but I keep laughing.

"You should've heard him!" Basil chuckles. "He sounded like my seven year old sister when she found a spider on her pillow!"

Tayzer mutters something and lays down on his bed so that he's facing away from us. I look around and see that some of the boys around me are changing their shirts. The T-shirts they're changing into seem pretty much the same except they're a couple of shades lighter. We also have sweatpants to change into for sleep. I look across the room and see that the girls are doing the same. I mean, they keep they're underwear on, but still! Basil looks where I'm looking and rolls her eyes.

"Screw that," she mutters. "I'm changing in the bathroom."

Some boys and girls are so comfortable that they even talk to each other while they're changing. Maybe I'll be one of them someday after I've been here for a while. It's probably just something you have to get used to. Then I notice Katniss walking out of the bathroom. Huh, so she's been here for so long, and _she's _still uncomfortable with changing around other people. Tayzer and I change quickly so that we finish before Basil comes back. People start lying down and the talking slowly quiets.

"Is there a light switch or something?" I ask.

"No, I think the light turns off automatically at ten," he says.

As if on cue, the room turns dark. Almost all of the talking ceases except for a few whispers. I hear the bathroom door open. It must be Basil. I can hear her shuffling around as she tries to find her bed in the darkness. I hear a deep _thud_ and I guess that she must have tripped on something.

"Shit!" she mutters, and I can hear a few people snickering.

When she finally makes it to her bed, the room goes silent. Nobody is talking anymore. All of the stage two students are sleeping while the stage one students stay awake and worry about what tomorrow will hold.

xXx

**A.N. - If you want to know what Tayzer and Basil look like, type "District Four Tributes Hunger Games" into Google. Please Review! 3**


	5. Chapter 5

**Me: You guys are getting stingy...**

**Reader: How?**

**Me: The last chapter got 57 hits and 3 reviews... Hmm... something doesn't add up here.**

**Reader: Are you trying to imply ****something?**

**Me: Yes. Yes I am, dear reader ;)**

xXx

The next morning, the stage two students are surprisingly quiet. Then I realize that everybody is probably too tired to talk. We all change in silence, and this time Gale doesn't tease Katniss about how she has to go to the bathroom to change. The stage two students leave first while the stage one students reluctantly follow. Everybody goes to the cafeteria first to eat, but I don't have much of an appetite. I follow Basil in line and take only a pint of milk.

"Seriously, Twelve?" Basil says.

"What?"

"We're going to training. _Training, _twelve," she says. "You have to eat _something_!"

"As much as I hate to say it, she's right," Tayzer says. "We'll need the energy."

I shrug and start picking up some random items. By the time we get to the table, I have a tray with milk, a muffin, and a small plate of eggs... I think it's eggs. I push it to the side because I don't actually trust it enough to eat it. Basil shovels her food down while Tayzer pokes at it slowly. I look around and see that most of the stage one students are barely eating either. I force my food down just in time for breakfast to finish. I take the lead while Tayzer and Basil walk behind me. The only reason I wanted to be in the front is because I'm right behind Gale and Katniss. Otherwise, I really have no idea where I'm going. When I get to the end of the hallway, Gale and Katniss turn left. I'm about to follow them until she turns around and stops me.

"Newbies go that way," she smirks as she points to the right.

I nod and turn around, but she calls me back.

"Listen," she whispers. "They may think it was a mistake, but I did pick you for a reason."

"What?" I ask.

"Just..." She stops as a few more students walk by us. "Don't let them beat you. I know you can do this, that's all I'm saying."

"Katniss, come on!" Gale yells.

She rushes away without explaining. When I turn around, I find my two friends waiting for me.

"What was that all about?" Basil asks.

"Oh, nothing," I shrug.

They don't look convinced, but they decide to drop it as we walk down the rest of the hallway. When we finally get to the end, we walk into a room. It's about as big as the gymnasium from my school. There's a blue curtain drawn in the middle of the room. On the side that we're in, there's at least fifty targets set up across the room. I can't see what's on the other side because of the curtain. A woman with short hair stands before us we all line up on the wall. After a few seconds, she starts talking.

"I haven't got all day, you know!" she yells.

The room becomes so quiet that I'm sure I could hear a pin if one fell. She walks from the curtain to the wall, studying each of us as she passes. I feel nervous as she stares me down, but I try to maintain eye contact. When she finishes, she walks to the center of the room. Then she points at Tayzer.

"You," she says.

"Me?" he asks nervously.

"Did I stutter?" she snaps. "Get over here!"

He gulps and I watch as he shuffles over to her in the center of the room. She pulls something out of her pocket and shows it to him.

"See this?" He nods. "You know what it is?"

"It's a gun," he stammers. "I thi-"

"It's a gun! Good job, scrawny!" she replies with mock-enthusiasm. Then she turns to look at us.

"Does anybody know why scrawny here is in trouble?" she asks.

Nobody says a word, but the air is tense as we wonder what will happen next.

"All of you," she says, "were able to keep eye contact. Except you."

His eyes widen a little and he gulps again.

"Looking down is a sign of submission. Submission is weakness."

Then she holds her gun to his stomach. Poor Tayzer, terrified as any normal person would be, looks down out of instinct.

"Have you learned nothing?" she yells in his face.

He looks up quickly and they stare at each other for what feels like hours even though it was probably seconds. She lowers her gun and pushes him away. She waits until he's back in line until she says:

"I'll be watching you."

His face is pale and I can tell that he wants to look down, but that would be suicide. Luckily, she looks away and continues.

"That was your first test, and I'm happy to say that only one of you failed," she says. "My name is Johanna. I'll be one of your teachers. I come from District Seven, and I know how it feels to be a stage one. That doesn't mean I'll go easy on you. In fact, most kids hate me by the time they're through here. I don't mind, but..."

Silence fills the room for a few seconds before she smirks.

"Just so you know."

Then she tells us that we'll be learning how to fire a gun today. She throws one to each of us and laughs when somebody doesn't catch it. Tayzer was one of them. She shows us how to point the gun and then tells us to shoot the target across from us. She walks to the side and we start shooting. I hold the gun and try to aim it correctly. When I pull the trigger, the gun flies back and hits me in the nose. I hear Johanna laughing immediately, but I don't say anything. I just keep shooting, and soon I'm used to the impact. More than I was before at least. I still miss the target, though. Basil grabs my arms and lowers them.

"Now shoot," she says.

She lets go and this time, I actually hit the target.

"Awesome," I smile.

"Don't let it go to your head, Twelve," she smirks.

By the end of this practice, I'm able to shoot the target once out of five shots.

"Drop your guns," Johanna yells.

We all drop the guns and she starts walking toward the targets, nodding at them as she passes. Whenever she finds a target that hasn't been shot, she stops to either ridicule the person or tell them that they had better try harder. Once she's finished making fun of all the slow learners, she returns to her place in the middle of the room.

"I could tell you guys that you did great, but that would be a lie," she says.

I can hear Basil sigh exasperatedly along with a couple of other people.

"Don't start huffing and puffing at me," she snorts. "I'm not gonna praise you if you don't deserve it. And most of you don't. So get out of here. When you come back tomorrow, I expect you to have your act together."

We walk out of the room without saying a word. We all go back to the cafeteria for lunch, but I'm still not hungry. I wait at the table while Basil and Tayzer get their food. Then I feel someone's hand on my shoulder. I turn and freeze when I see who it is.

"How did it go?" Katniss asks.

"Fine," I say, "for me."

"Good," she nods. "Okay, listen. The next part is gonna be harder, but I know you can do it. Don't go easy on them."

"Who?" I ask. "Why are you even telling me this?"

"Just do what I say," she whispers curtly.

Then she lets go of my shoulder and walks back to her table with Gale. Luckily, he's still getting his food, so he didn't see her. Sadly, I cannot say the same about my friends since they are just sitting down now.

"Okay why does she keep talking to you?" Basil asks.

"It's nothing," I say. "She just wanted to... apologize for picking me randomly."

Even that's a lie. She had said: "I did pick you for a reason". I wish I knew what that reason was.


	6. Chapter 6

After lunch, we go to our second part of training which turns out to be hand to hand combat. Finally something I'm good at. Basil keeps smirking and rubbing her hands together in excitement. Poor Tayzer looks like he's going to pass out any minute now. When we get to the other side of the gymnasium, we see what the curtain was covering. In the middle of the room there is a chalk circle at least ten feet in diameter. That should be fine. I can pin my opponent in five!

"Screw guns," Basil whispers. "This is the real shit."

I can't help but laugh at how much Basil loves saying that word. We all line up on the wall again as our teacher stares at us. He has sea green eyes and light hair. I can hear the girls whispering about him while others just stare at him.

"Hello," he says. "My name is Finnick. I am from District Four and I will be your teacher."

"I knew it. Everybody from District Four is freakin' sexy... Except Tayzer," Basil whispers, and I laugh.

"If you guessed," Finnick keeps going, "that you are going to fight one of your fellow students in this ring, then you guessed right. First, you need to learn some basic moves."

He stands with his back to us and shows us how to block our face with our hands. How to punch. How to kick. How to duck. Dodge. I only pay attention for some of them. I mean I've been wrestling for years. I already know how to fight. After he thinks everybody has gotten it, he takes a paper out of his pocket.

"Okay," he sighs. "First up is Peeta and Marvel."

"Heh. _Marvel. _And I thought my name was weird," Basil snickers, and I give her a look. "I meant to say "good luck"!"

"One to Twelve, this ought to be interesting," Finnick mumbles as he folds up the paper. I can't tell if he's being sarcastic or not.

I walk into the ring and Marvel stands at the other side. I flex my fingers and roll my shoulders in preparation.

"Begin," Finnick says.

We cover our faces the way he told us to and shuffle around the circle. Marvel runs at me, but it only takes a minute to get him on the floor. I pin him down so that he can't get up. It's not very eventful, but at least I know I've still got it. Marvel says that he gives up. I look up at Finnick and he nods so I let go of Marvel and stand up.

"Thank you, Peeta and Marvel for not wasting my time," he smirks. "Back in line."

"Look at you Twelve," Basil murmurs when I get back to her. "I didn't know you could fight like that."

I only shrug and she smirks.

"You'll be in stage two in no time," she says.

I start getting distracted as people come up two by two and fight. I don't actually care enough to watch all of them. My mind rushes through everything it has time for. I still can't fully believe that I'm here. I wonder what my parents are doing now. Mom probably told all of them to get back to business. My brothers might mourn me, but they'll never know where I am. If I had just stayed inside... If I had stayed inside... If I hadn't taken a walk, Katniss wouldn't have found me. I would have gone on believing I would never see her again. I might have even thought that she was dead. In a way it's good that she took me. I just wish I knew that reason that she was talking about. Why would someone like Katniss even care?

"Twelve!" Basil snaps.

"What?" I ask.

"If you haven't noticed, it's my turn," she says.

"Oh sorry," I say. "Good luck!"

She nods and walks to the center of the room. She must fight against the girl from District 2: Clove. They both glare at each other, probably because they think it will intimidate the other. Clove doesn't waste a second when Finnick tells them to start. She lunges forward and tackles Basil. She pins her to the ground easily and hits her over and over again. Every time she brings her fist down I wince at the sound of the impact. Basil yells and tries to push her off but she fails. Her nose starts bleeding.

"Stop!" one of the girls screams. "Tell her to stop!"

"They can only stop if one of them surrenders," Finnick shrugs.

"Basil!" Tayzer screams. "Tell him you give up!"

She manages to look up and I can see the aggravation in her eyes. Not just because she is being beaten, because we don't believe that she can win. She suffers through another five seconds before she finally lets her body go limp.

"Okay!" she yells, and Clove holds her fist in midair instead of bringing it down again. "Okay. I'm done."

"Took you long enough," Clove smirks as she stands up and walks back to the line. Basil doesn't move.

I start to walk to her but Finnick stops me and pushes me back.

"She's fine," he says.

"She can't move!" I snap.

"Then maybe she's not strong enough for this school," Finnick says as he looks down at her.

She glares at him with one black eye. She stands up as fast as she can with shaking arms and slowly walks back to her place.

"You can go to the infirmary when we're through here," he says.

Then he starts calling someone else.

"Do you want me to walk you to the infirmary?" I ask.

"No," she snaps.

"Why not?" I ask.

"Twelve, infirma means weak. Now take infirma and add "ry" to the end of it," she says. "Infirmary. In this school they target the weak. I will not go to the infirmary. I will _not _be labeled a weakling."

I don't say anything because I know that she's right. Knowing that she's right gives me chills. None of the fighters are as violent as Clove. There's no bloodshed either which is good because I don't think I could watch it again. Finnick dismisses us once everybody has finished fighting. Tayzer grabs Basil's left arm and I grab her right arm so that we can keep her steady while she walks. She groans in pain every so often. Otherwise, we say nothing for the entire walk to the dormitory.

"I'm gonna go wash my face," Basil murmurs as she walks to the bathroom.

Tayzer and I sit down on our beds while we wait. I lay back and look around. There's only a few people in here. Everybody else is probably walking around or talking in the lobby. Katniss walks in with a blue bag in her hand.

"Where's Basil?" she asks as soon as she walks in.

"In the bathroom," Tayzer answers.

She nods and walks to the bathroom. I watch her until she's out of my sight.

"Oh come on Peeta," Tayzer sighs, and I turn around. "Her?"

"What about her?" I ask.

"Maybe I'm mistaken, but between the googly eyes and the 'private' conversations-"

"I already told you what we were talking about," I interrupt him.

"I know you did but that doesn't mean you were telling the truth," he chuckles.

I can't really defend myself, I did lie. Luckily Katniss walks back in and stops in front of us.

"I just gave her an ice pack and I can tell how much she hates it," she sighs. "Make sure she actually uses it."

"Okay," I say.

"So Katniss," Tayzer says, "I've been wondering: What's going on with you and that guy... What's his name again?"

"Gale," I tell him.

"That's the one," he smirks.

"Uh... What do you mean?" Katniss asks.

"Are you and Gale together or something?" Tayzer asks.

"No! We're best friends," she mutters. "Why are you even asking?"

"Just curious," Tayzer shrugs.

"What ever, Newbie," she mumbles as she walks to the door.

"I knew it," Tayzer says when she's gone.

"What?" I ask. "What were you thinking?"

"When I said "what's his name" you automatically knew that I was talking about Gale."

"Because he's her best friend," I reply.

"And then when I asked if there was anything going on between them you blushed," he says.

"Because it's embarrassing to be seen with you!"

"Just admit that you like her," Tayzer says.

"Fine! So what? What does it matter?" I ramble.

"Nothing," he smirks. "I was just wondering."


	7. Chapter 7

**Kay, so I went back to look and I saw a loooot of similarities between this story and Divergent. I didn't intend for that to happen, so sorry to anybody that thinks I copied it... Oh and don't tell me what happens because I haven't even finished Divergent yet XD Please review!**

xXx

I'm getting used to the daily routine here. First we eat, then we shoot at targets then we eat again and then we fight. And then we watch Clove tear apart some lucky girl. Today it was the girl from District 3. Basil's nose has healed, but you can still tell that something happened to it and it's still sensitive to touch. I walk into the lobby and find Tayzer standing by himself awkwardly.

"Where's Basil?" I ask.

"I thought she was with you," he replies. "That's why I was waiting here alone... Maybe she got lost again."

"How could you get lost?" I chuckle. "It's really not that complicated."

"Why don't you go into that stupid maze back there and we'll see how long it takes for _you_ to get out," Tayzer challenges.

"Deal," I shrug.

I walk out of the lobby and start down one of the dark hallways that I've never taken before. The hallways that I found were only about five feet long, so I have to turn almost immediately. Right first. Then left. Then another right. Or maybe I went left... I can't remember. There's so many twists and turns. Huh... Maybe I am lost.

"Congratulations. You found me."

I look down and see Basil sitting with her back against the wall.

"Did you get lost?" I chuckle.

"No," she says, "I just needed to be somewhere quiet. Take a seat."

I sit down next to her and stare at the wall in front of me that's only about 4 feet away.

"I'm so sick of this," Basil whispers.

"What?" I ask.

"This," she sighs. "This stupid school, these stupid people, this stupid training. It's all so..."

"Stupid?" I interrupt.

"Shut up Smart-Ass," she mutters. "But yes it's all very stupid. I shouldn't be here you know? I should be at home right now. My sister must be worried sick."

"You have a sister?" I ask.

"Yeah," she smiles. "Her name is Bayleaf. She's only ten years old."

"Bayleaf?" I chuckle.

"Yeah, my mom thought it would be real cute if our names sounded alike. _Bay_-sil and _Bay_-leaf. I just call her Lee," she shrugs. "We're like best friends."

"Were," I say to correct her.

"Thanks for that Twelve," she says sarcastically. "Don't you ever feel like they should at least know where we are? That we're even alive?"

"They would never let us go back. You know that," I say. "When people disappear, they never come back."

"No," she snaps, "they're never _seen _again. What about the girl that got you?"

"Who? Katniss?" I ask.

"Yeah, Katniss," she says. "She went back but nobody ever knew because she wasn't _seen_."

"Basil you're not saying..."

"Actually that's exactly what I'm saying," she smirks. "I'm going back Twelve. You can come with me or not but I'm going and..."

"Basil you can't be serious!" I interrupt again. "You know you'll get in trouble. Plus can you imagine what would happen if people found out where we are?"

"I told you, nobody will see me!" she says. "I just need to see her one more time!"

"You can't," I tell her. "You _can't._"

Her smile turns into a scowl and she stares at me.

"Yes I can," she says slowly. "And nobody is going to stop me. I'm going to see my sister."

"Do you want to get yourself killed?" I yell.

"If that's what it takes to see her again," she snaps, "then yes."

"Basil..."

"Why don't you just get out of here Twelve," she sighs. "It was nice knowing you."

I shake my head and walk away because I can't even think of anything to say to her. I can't believe she could be so thick. If she really does leave, I'll be lucky if I ever see her again.

xXx

"So she really just... left?" Tayzer asks.

"I doubt it," I say as I lie down on my bed. "How would she even get out?"

"There has to be some way of getting out," he shrugs. "I just hope she hasn't found it."

He turns to unfold his blanket and I look across the room where Katniss is sitting on her bed as usual. Gale says something I can't hear, and she rolls her eyes and smirks. He walks over to her and pecks her cheek which seems to take her by surprise. My hands turn into fist and my stomach burns with anger. She stares after him, confused, for a few seconds. Then she looks at me and I look down. I really should be more careful so that she doesn't catch me staring at her.

"Peeta!" Tayzer says.

I look to the area where Tayzer was pointing. Basil stands with her back against the door. Her hair is messy and her eyes are wide and scared.

"Basil?" I say.

She moans in response and Tayzer runs to the door to help her to her bed. She sits down and we both sit down in front of her.

"What happened?" he asks.

"I just wanted to see her," she whispers. "They wanted to kill me. They kept saying that I was a threat, and I could've ruined everything for this school. They said that killing me was the best thing to do, but... someone stopped them."

"Who?" I ask.

"I can't remember his name," she mutters. "He said he was a mentor or teacher or maybe a... I don't know."

"Thank god they didn't go through with it!" Tayzer says.

Basil opens her mouth like she wants to say something and there is an urgent look in her eyes.

"They said they would..." she trails off.

"What?" I ask.

"No," she says as she shakes her head.

"No what?" Tayzer says.

She squeezes her eyes shut and sighs deeply.

"They told me not to tell," she squeaks.


	8. Chapter 8

**So since I'm really busy I decided to just write a chapter with a short Katniss/Peeta encounter. Please review!**

**xXx**

I walk through the lobby by myself. I couldn't stand to stay and listen to Basil moaning. It's as if she lost her mind. I know I should help her and I will. But I won't be helping anybody if I lose my own mind in the process.

Was it only yesterday that she tried to escape? It seems like it's been so much longer. It seems like we've spent weeks trying to console her. Luckily today is Sunday which means she doesn't even have to leave the dormitory if she doesn't want to because there is nothing scheduled today.

I walk into one of the dark hallways. It reminds me of the hallway where I found Basil but I know it's not the same one. I keep walking anyway not even trying to remember which way I'm going. I only start to realize that I'm lost after about five minutes of walking.

"What are you doing back here?"

I jump and find myself face to face with Katniss.

"I was just walking," I say.

"Right," she mutters. "How's Basil?"

"She's fine," i say.

"Is she planning any more suicide missions?" Katniss asks smartly.

"She just wanted to see her sister," I reply.

"So do I but I'm not going to kill myself and everybody in this school just so that I might get a glimpse of my sister!" she snaps.

"What? Why would they kill _us_?" I ask.

"Forget I said anything," she mutters.

She turns around to keep walking and I follow her without thinking. I can't help but stare at her. The dim lights from the lamps at the end of the hallway makes her hair look so dark and beautiful. She stops under the lamp when we reach the end and looks at me again and suddenlly I remember something.

"Why did you bring me here?" I ask. "You said there was a reason."

"Of course," she says. "Because you're muscular. I figured you would do well here."

"You're a really bad liar," I say.

"Maybe you just have bad judgement," she mutters. "Look you don't need to know."

"Why can't you just tell me?" I ask.

"Because you wouldn't understand!" she snaps.

"Do you think I'm stupid or something?"

"No!" she yells angrily. "I just-"

She stops as we hear a scratchy sound behind us. The dim light turns off and we stand in complete darkness. I hear Katniss gasp and she grabs my arm for a second before pulling away.

"What are you doing?" I ask because I can't see her. "Turn that back on!"

"I didn't turn it off!" she snaps. "It must be after curfew!"

"Great," I mutter as I try to see through the dark.

"Can we please just get out of here?" she asks as her voice shakes with... dare I say, fear?

"Are you scared?" I ask without thinking.

"No!"

Even when I can't see her face, I can still tell that she's lying. Then I think back to the conversation that she and Gale had when they first showed me around.

_"Scared of the dark, can you imagine?"_

_"I know, right? That's gotta suck."_

"Katniss are you scared of the dark?" I ask slowly.

"Shut up," she mutters. "Lets just get out of here."

"Well can you see?" I ask.

"No..." she sighs.

"I can see a little bit," I say even though I can barely see anything. "Here take my hand."

She stays completely silent for a few seconds before mumbling "fine". I find her hand and hold onto it as I try to convince myself that this is actually happening, and I am actually holding Katniss Everdeen's hand.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey there. I figured I should post an author's note because a bunch of people keep asking me what's going on with my stories. I'm gonna tell you what's going on with all of my stories and I'm going to post this to all of my stories.**

**1. Target The Weak (this one): I am going to continue this one. I just started writing the next chapter but right now I'm just really busy and tired out. That's why I haven't updated in a while.**

**2. Rivalry: I'm still kinda frustrated that the entire story that I set up just got deleted so that's why it's taking me so long to get the story going again, but I am definitely trying to add to it.**

**3. Friends Forever: We're both still working on it but we're still deciding who's going to write the next chapter.**

**4. Thirty Seconds: Okay well not many people read that one. I was hoping people would because that was actually going to be my favorite of the stories I've written so far, but I kinda lost the inspiration so I'm actually going to 'give' that story to TogetherWeCanFly so that she can finish it, so you can check it out when she reposts it.**

**So there's the explanations for my stories. Thanks for reading and showing an interest :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry I took so long! I hope it's worth it :P**

**Review to tell me what you think!**

**xXx**

The next day, I wake up before everybody else. I decide to take advantage of this by using the bathroom before a line forms for it. I get up as quietly as I can and start walking to the bathroom. As I walk I realize that both Katniss and Gale's beds are empty. Of course the first thought that enters my mind is incredibly uncomfortable but I try to remind myself that they could just be practicing or something.

When I reach the bathroom I open the door. Well... at least now I know where Gale and Katniss are. Luckily I only opened the door a bit so they didn't notice me. And even though I know I'm not supposed to, I can't help but listen as I watch them through the small crack in the door.

"You seriously need to stop worrying so much," Gale says as he lifts the edge of her shirt up a couple of inches.

"What if they see it?" Katniss asks as he brings some kind of marker to her exposed skin.

"They won't. If they haven't noticed mine, they won't notice yours."

He begins to draw something on her hip. Some strange symbol. He draws a circle, then draws a straight vertical line through the middle, then two more diagonal lines on either side of the first line.

"We'll get it one day," Gale whispers.

He closes the marker and Katniss looks down at the symbol on her skin. I look at it too, trying to remember exactly how it looks and trying to figure out what it means.

"We're making them proud, aren't we?"

"Katniss," he says. "Don't forget what we're fighting for."

"I haven't, and I never will."

"Good."

He turns as if he's about to leave and my eyes widen. Luckily, Katniss stops him.

"When is this happening?" she asks. "How will we know?"

"Trust me," he sighs. "We'll know."

I back up quickly as Gale goes to leave the bathroom again. Then I begin walking so that it looks like I just woke up and I wasn't eavesdropping. Gale walks out of the bathroom and nods at me, more solemn than I've ever seen him. Katniss comes out a second later. A strange look comes into her eyes when she sees me, but she walks past me without even acknowledging the fact that I am here.

xXx

When the others wake up, we head to breakfast. I'm really not hungry though. There are too many thoughts in my head for me to focus on food. I keep thinking about last night when Katniss actually let me hold her hand. And then I keep thinking of her and Gale. I wish I knew what they were talking about and what that symbol was.

"Hey," Tayzer says as he sits down across from me.

"Hey," I reply. "Is Basil coming?"

"Yeah," he sighs. "She's a little better but she still won't talk that much."

"Think she'll be able to practice?" I ask.

"I don't know."

A minute later, Basil finally arrives and sits down with us. She stares at her tray as she eats, and Tayzer and I really don't know what to say. So the rest of breakfast is silent.

When breakfast finally ends we go to target practice again. As always Johanna throws us each a gun and laughs when someone doesn't catch it. Something is different though. Every time I look at Johanna, she is staring at Basil with a strange look in her eyes. She doesn't even yell at Basil for not hitting the target. It is obvious that she knows what happened.

"Drop your guns," she finally says.

All of our guns fall to the ground with a loud _thud _and she begins to walk across the long line of targets, looking at each one. Except Basil, Johanna either ridicules or reprimands the people who missed their targets. She even goes a step further to point out the one shot that somebody made. She smirks as she raises her hand to point at the bullet.

"One shot," she yells to the person who could only hit the target once. "It actually would have been better if you didn't hit it at all, 'cause this is just pathetic."

I stop paying attention as my eyes travel down. When she raises her arm, her shirt comes up the slightest bit. When it comes up I see a strange symbol on her side.

No. _The _strange symbol. The same symbol that Gale drew on Katniss's hip. I find myself staring at it. But then Johanna quickly pulls her shirt back down. When I look up she is staring right at me.

"Dismissed," she mutters.

xXx

When everybody else heads off for lunch I stand in the hallway, waiting for the stage two students to pass by. When they do, I catch Katniss's arm and tell her that I need to talk to her. She sighs but she tells Gale to go ahead of her.

"What is it?" she asks impatiently.

"This."

I reach into my pocket and pull out a paper and pen that I found in the lobby earlier that day. I hold the paper up so that she cannot see that I am drawing the strange symbol.

"What are you doing?" she asks.

"I want to know what this is," I say as I show her my drawing.

Her eyes widen and she looks around before grabbing the paper out of my hand.

"Are you insane?"

Before I can stop her, she tears the paper apart and her hand forms a fist around the torn up pieces.

"I just want to know what-"

"Quiet!" she hisses. "Don't draw or talk about that ever again."

She shoves the torn up paper into her pocket and storms off before I can even get another word in.


End file.
